Keeping Secrets
by little1vixen
Summary: Jack's been keeping secrets and nothing is going to stop one little dragon from discovering them all.
1. Chapter 1

Jack Spicer had considered not bothering to get up this morning, even with his Wu alarm blaring in his ear. He was rather tired from the night before and really just wanted to take a hot shower then relax with some nice sweet pudding cups. Really if he missed one or four Wu would it kill him? No. Today he simply wouldn't go, that sounded wonderful.

Too bad by the time he finished this chain of thought Jack's body had already gone through the motions of getting ready and he was in the sky on his way. He sighed heavily as he flew. When he got home he would take a nice hot bubble bath with pudding cups and a good book.

The new Wu was apparently located in some sort of forest in the middle of... Jack didn't really care where. By the time Jack arrived he saw that the monks were already there and searching for some obscure Wu that honestly he could care less about at the moment. In fact, Jack decided to take a page from his idol Chase Young. He powered down his heli pack and perched lightly on one of his Jackbots. He settled himself lazily on the Jackbot's head his legs swinging gently. Now was as good a time as any to test his new invention.

"Jackbots, shields!"

Immediately the bots produced a surge of energy that shimmered as it surrounded Jack and the rest of his entourage. It went about two feet out and around the group. The real beauty of his invention was that if he or any of his Jackbots left the main bubble it would adjust to the size of the new group. He tested his shields by moving the furthest Jackbot out of the group and then letting come back in by briefly powering down the shields because he was too lazy to say the passcode. That done Jack settled in to watch the Xiaolin monks bumble around and break stuff while yelling at each other. It was actually pretty amusing to watch.

"Jackbot pudding."

Jack was handed a delicious pudding cup and watched the search like a movie. It took around half an hour for them to notice he was there.

"Jack Spicer!" Jack waved lazily and continued to eat the snacks he stored within one of his many loyal minions. Leisurely he swallowed what was in his mouth, and then replied, "Sup Cueball"

"You shall not-"

"Not interested."

The monks looked stunned that someone from the Haylin Xiaolin conflict, other than Chase, could be not interested in Wu. Kimiko reacted first, "We're not falling for another one of your tricks Jack! What's your plan? Wait until we find it then snatch it for yourself? You know you'll lose-"

"Kami! Do you ever stop talking? There is no plan, stop yelling at me."

Clay was next to speak as Kimiko was silent in rage.

"Why are you here if you don't want the Wu?" Jack shrugged "I didn't want to stay home." He answered honestly.

Kimiko however had had enough talking.

"If you won't tell us the easy way, we'll do it the hard way." She stated before using a combination of her powers and her signature Wu. Angrily, she shot a ball of fire at Jack who looked neither surprised nor alarmed. The large ball of fire raced toward him as Jack spooned up some more pudding. He glanced at the monks and watched their expressions as he said one thing.

"Jackbot record."

He didn't have to say it he had a button on his watch that did the same command but the looks of confusion and, in one case, anger on the monks was priceless as the fireball hit. When the burst of light from impact ended Jack checked his watch. The flames were made of primarily magic and partially ignited chemicals in the air, interested. He'd set the shields to storage and the shield had absorbed it completely converting some of it into power and the rest into an extra layer of defense.

As the last of the smoke cleared Jack took another leisurely bite of pudding watching with hidden glee as the monks stared at him in astonishment. He swallowed then adopted a bored look he'd practiced many times in front of the mirror and seen even more on the face of his evil idol Chase Young. He was proud of how straight he was able to keep his face as he suddenly came up with the perfect thing to say.

"Do you feel better now? I'm pretty sure that was step three in most anger management classes" He asked raising one bright red eyebrow. Then he watched fascinated as Kimiko turned the same color as her purple pigtailed hair.

"That does not look like a healthy color Kim, maybe you should go back and do some review."

Omi spoke first "What new magic is this?"

"Well Cueball it's called not telling."

Raimundo was confused now, "What? You're always eager to tell about some new invention, are you even the real Jack?"

"Let's take him apart and see!" And with that statement another barrage of fireballs large and small bombarded Jack. who reached to get another water as he watched the light show. Since he knew what the fire was made of and had already saved the results to study later Jack set the shield to absorb and relaxed. The funny thing was the more she fired the faster and easier the shields were able to absorb her fire and magic, and the more they absorbed the stronger the became. Finally the dragon of fire tired herself out and stopped.

"Don't you guys have anything better to do like find some mystical toy so that someone like oh, I don't know... Wuya or Katnappe, who are right over there by the way, don't snatch it up from behind your backs. Or you could continue wasting your energy on me. I don't mind either way." And with that the monks attention was well and truly diverted. They spotted their two new opponents climbing.

"Why those no good sneaky varmints."

"Let us go cut off their tails!" Jack looked at Omi and wondered, not for the first time, if Omi wasn't secretly evil or super smart and older and messing with them all. The kid said some really violent messed up things without flinching.

"That's "clip their wings Omi.""

"That too!" Jack was grateful as the group hurried toward the two Heylin yelling insults and something about good and evil. Really it all got so repetitive after awhile-

"Hello Spicer." Jack nearly slipped off of his Jackbot as he swallowed a scream.

"C-c-Ch- Chase! Um, ah, are you not interested in this wu?"

Chase stood lightly on a branch near Jack's hovering group. He smirked arrogantly and his voice was sharp.

"I merely came to observe the young monk's improvement." Jack was then instantly bored. He was honestly tired of his idol's obsession with the annoying, possibly evil Cueball.

'"Well then enjoy the show." Jack said as he turned back to watch Wuya hit Raimundo out of the air when he got too cocky as Kimiko tried to brutalize Katnappe obviously trying a new, much less protected, prey. It was as amusing as it was sad that these amoral child thugs were supposed to be the good guys.

"Why do you not join the battle, I have never known you not to be interested in one of these toys."

Jack shrugged still facing the entertaining scramble for the wu. Did it look this ridiculous every time?

"Not interested today but I was bored to I came."

"And brought your new toy."

Jack looked over at Chase with a smirk of his own.

"Well, I needed some entertainment. And nothing is more fun than annoying those self-righteous monks."

Suddenly the land began to shift and Jack found himself and his robots hovering over the branches of a large tree with Chase Young beside him.

"Gong Yi Tempai!"

It looked like some type of race to the top of a mammoth tree complete with the moving branches and ridiculously large and heavy falling leaves. It seemed to be Omi and Kimiko against Wuya and Katnappe. Katnappe used her speed agility and cunning to outsmart the raging Kimiko. It was fun to watch as she tricked Kimiko into burning the heavy leaves to ashes so that she could climb on unhindered towards the prize. Wuya was having a harder time with Omi who managed to unbalance her with a blow followed by a shot of water which he used to to freeze her to a branch causing both Jack and Chase to chuckled though for different reasons. Jack was amused at Wuya's incompetence but he was willing to bet Chase was excited for Omi's improvement. Jack shook his head as Omi sent an arc of water up knocking Katnappe away for Kimiko to get the prize that Jack still didn't know the name of or it's abilities. With the battle over the earth shifted back to its original form. Wuya and Katnappe trembled as they retreated and Jack took the end of the showdown as his cue to leave. The departure would be too slow with the shield up so he opened his heli pack and with a quick salute to Chase powered down the shields and turned towards home only to feel a blinding pain in his side and a blur of ground rushing his way.


	2. Chapter 2

Kimiko stood looking satisfied as Jack plunged towards the ground.

"What is wrong with you?!"

"Is this one of your woman days?"

"There's no need to kill 'im!"

Kimiko smirked and turned towards Dojo with a flip of her hair "He'll be fine. He's like a cockroach he's not gonna die." _And like a cockroach life will be a lot better if he does._

And the Monks continued to argue as a nearly unconscious Jack fell. His mind was a haze and it felt like white light was surrounding the edges of his vision. But while the Monks were willing to ignore the fact that a bystander was falling to his death a bystander who had no magical powers to speak of to save himself with, Chase was not. Quickly he moved to grab Spicer out of the air landing lightly on the ground with the boy in his arms. Chase knew of the wu, the Wakai Kokoro. It followed the intentions of the user making the target younger. If the intention was death they simply kept getting younger till they were too young to exist. It was a painful process and Chase didn't put it past Kimiko to kill Spicer.

"I am not ready for you to die yet Spicer." And with that Chase felt with his magic and pulled taking as much of the spell as he dared absorbing Jack's would be damage into himself as the monks were too far to serve as hosts.

He felt his own body rebel at the damage he was causing himself and he stopped pulling so that he could fight his instinct to go dragon. Then he felt it Jack was getting smaller and smaller in his arms. The magic was still affecting him but Chase was sure he'd taken enough damage to save him now he had to concentrate on not letting himself lose control. So he meditated. Jack was situated comfortably in his lap because it made the dragon that much calmer and then he cleared his mind.

Dojo watched as Chase caught Jack and then careful pulled the magic from his body and settling it into his own. Knowing what he did about the dual natured Chase young Dojo figured it'd be healthier for his loud, brash, and apparently evil charges to leave while the _man_ was still in control.

"Come on kids time to leave, good job saving Jack from falling to his death by the way. Real heroic." He commented as he grew to his more natural size. The sarcastic rebuke caused three of the monks to look ashamed , but instead of trudging sulkily towards their dragon as he expected, they turned to finally check on the boy they had forgotten. What they saw had them running forward to get a closer look before Dojo could tell them to stop. Instead he face palmed before following to make sure his charges didn't make anything worse.

The white light was fading away leaving two smaller creatures in it's place. One was a baby with bright red hair and startlingly white skin looking around curiously with bright red eyes. The other was a slightly older child who looked to be around five cradling the baby tenderly as a green reptilian tail swayed behind it. The child had black hair with green highlights his eyes, which were closed at first, opened to glare at the oncoming monks. The glare stopped the monks from coming closer as they instinctively didn't want to deal with Chase if he was in a bad mood. Raimundo was the first to shake of the glare in favor of examining the two at a little closer range and the others automatically moved to follow their leader.

"You turned them into babies Kimiko?"

"I didn't know what the wu did and I only meant to hit Spicer. Besides you have to admit he's much cuter as a baby."

"We should take them back to the temple! We could raise them to be on the side of good!" Omi started forward again as he spoke intending to take baby from the young boy. He was met with a snap of teeth that just barely missed his hand as Clay pulled him out of harm's way.

"Hold your horses little partner. I don't think our little friends want us so close."

"I wouldn't either if someone had just blindsided me with a magic attack."

Rai was quick to snap glaring at Kimiko.

"He-"

Their next quarrel was stopped by a loud growl which startled them enough to look once again at the small pair on the ground. Jack's little face was scrunched up like he was going to cry and Chase had tightened his hold and was curled around the angry baby protectively. What surprised them the most was the fact that the growls weren't coming from the angry chibi Chase. No, those threatening growls were coming from the near vibrating human looking baby in his arms.

"Wow, even as a baby Jack is a freak!" Said Kimiko smugly, the growls got louder.

"Ya might wanna remember that he is also a genius, little lady. He can probably understand us and even if he can't the angry warlord protecting' him can." Clay commented in the longest speech any of them ad ever heard him say without some kind of down home country saying. There was a slight gurgle as if in agreement with the statement. And the monks looked once again at the chibi pair. Chase was moving slowly away from the group and Jack seemed to be reaching for the big cowboy. Before anyone could react there were suddenly a bunch of snarling felines in front of the monks. Quickly, they jumped back into defensive positions as the held off the vicious animals as best they could. They lost sight of their chibi enemies as they fought for what felt like their lives. It felt like hours but just as suddenly as they came their enemies were gone. The monks looked around wearily only to meet the eyes of of Chibi Chase as he sat on one of his tigers. He seemed to be glaring at Clay as he clutched Chibi Jack possessively to his chest. The tiger stalked forward with a deadly gait and just when it seemed it would pounce on the monks Chase said one word. "Mine." And with his warning he and his tiger vanished.

"What just happened?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chase arrived at his lair with a flare that took much more energy than usual in his new much smaller body. Unaccustomed to feeling strain, Chase stayed atop his tiger, trying to fight the dizziness for a little while longer until a coo, light and comforting, distracted him. Chibi Jack reached up one small hand to touch Chase's forehead, immediately the dizziness subsided and Chase sighed in relief. He looked at the babe in his arms that was purring happily as it smiled his toothless grin.

The baby's smile, Jack's smile, caused a warm feeling to surge in his chest. This small adorable and highly intelligent creature was his. His dragon had claimed him and Chase accepted that. Fighting the dragon never was beneficial.

Chase knew a little about caring for human children. He made it his business to have a rudimentary knowledge of everything, what else was an immortal lord to do with 1,000 years. So Chase leapt lightly off of the tiger while feeling glad, not for the first time, about his deal with that disgusting, rotten bean, Hannibal. Because of his dragon he was able to retain most of his strength and agility, along with his mind and memories. He was fully aware, reasonably functioning, and able to defend and take care of himself. Also because he had been so old and powerful, the magic hadn't been able to complete it's effort of de-aging him, and his dragon would only allow him to get so young.

Jack was not so strong or old. He had next to no ability to defend himself outside of his mechanical creations, and that had only began to improve recently. Really, to watch the way the monks used their full force to "defeat" such an untutored child was evil and rather pathetic. But it was also what gave him the constant hope that he could turn them to the dark side, they weren't all that "good" in the first place. As he thought Chase headed to the kitchen. Gently he set the, he now noticed, naked baby on the floor. With a snap of his fingers he called several of his warriors, another snap and they were human.

"Fix me something easy to eat and warm some milk for baby Jack here. We will need baby food for tomorrow." Jack made a face and Chase chuckled adjusting his grip on the surprisingly cooperative little one who was about a third his size. Chase gently tapped Jack's nose with his tail. "We will find you some that's not completely inedible little one. I swear we will find something that you like."

Jack gave another large smile and giggled, grabbing at Chase's tail which was held just out of reach for Jack's entertainment. Food was quickly set in front of the two and Chase had peanut butter and jelly with no crust as he fed Jack his bottle with his tail. As Jack was finishing his bottle, he requested a towel which was quickly brought to him. He finished his sandwich, he dared not drink his soup as he was unsure what effect it would have on him in this state, and Jack quickly finished his meal as well. Chase draped the towel over his shoulder, and burped Jack who seemed very satisfied and didn't spit up. Afterwards Chase headed down stairs in his underground home. It was bath time.

The baby was filthy, covered in dirt, milk, and cat hair. Chase headed into a large room which had a pool of steaming water he knew was too hot for the baby to wash in, especially with his extra sensitive skin. Chase shifted Jack to one arm before waving one hand over the ground. The floor shook and began to shift. Waves formed and rose from the rock until it began to take form. Slowly two short pillars solidified, each with a large mass on top. The first mass shaped itself into a baby tub and the second flattened into a small table.

First, Chase waved a hand over the table and several gentle baby products appeared. Baby soap, shampoo, lotion, two face towels, a drying towel, a diaper and baby clothes. Once that was set up, he placed a second towel in the stone baby tub and waved his hand over it to fill it with water, not too hot and not too cold. Gently he held baby Jack over the tub and washed his hair. He then pat it dry and laid him on a table. There he used the corners of a damp face cloth to clean his face. Then Chase put soap in the water before picking Jack up and putting him gently in. Jack was a small baby, smaller than a baby older than a newborn was supposed to be, so Chase washed him as he would a newborn. With his hands and a gentle cloth Chase was done in no time and Jack was extremely content. Once Chase got him back in some clothes baby Jack was yawning.

"You are tired little warrior; I'm not surprised. You've had quite the day. Sleep little Ruby; tomorrow won't be so hard." Chase nuzzled the baby affectionately and with a sleepy giggle the baby nuzzled back. Chase was grateful that bath time hadn't used much energy, proving that even in his tiny new body Chase could do basic magic. He rocked Jack, humming as he walked to his room. More magic conjured up a crib fit for an evil prince with red and black as the main themes with some dragon decorations curled along the front and back of the crib. Carefully, Chase placed the already sleeping baby Jack in the crib.

"Goodnight my little Ruby Warrior." He whispered over the crib. There was a little whimper and Chase was tempted to take the baby with him. However, he decided that a research trip, one that might upset Chase, was not a trip he wanted to take a baby on and so with one last comforting nuzzle, Chase left the room. As he walked towards his extensive library he thought. Chase was happy that his gambit had worked. If he hadn't acted quickly Jack, the monks, and Wuya would be dead and Dojo would be soup. Jack from the Wu which would have caused him to kill the monks and Dojo and since he was in a murderous rage he would kill Wuya just for fun. Just the thought enraged him.

He walked, fists clenched and tail lashing, furious about everything that had happened. Those monks had attacked Jack while his back was turned then left him to fall to his death. How dare those monks make a fool out of Chase with one of their little toys? On top of that, it was one of the few that he wasn't as familiar with as he would like, and so he could not judge how long the effects would last. This called for research. He growled to himself in frustration, Chase hated not knowing things. It was then that he recalled the way that Jack had growled when angry at the monks. Normal babies cried and fussed but Jack... Maybe the trinket wasn't the only thing that required further research.

Back at the temple three of the four monks were worried. The boy's decided to have a meeting. It was easy to avoid Kimiko. Dojo had explained everything that had happened to Master Fung who had assigned her the cleaning of the entire temple, without her powers and only a toothbrush and Dojo to assist her. At Dojo's look of surprise and betrayal Master Fung had simply raised an eyebrow. "The young monks were not the only ones who could have saved the boy."

And it finally dawned on Dojo that the kids were not the only stupid bystanders. Ashamed, he'd gone quietly to find a toothbrush, Kimiko, not so much. "Why am I being punished for attacking the bad guy? I thought we were supposed to defeat evil, not coddle it."

"I see I have let you all run wild for too long. It's time I taught you all how to be true "good guys" as you call it. Clearly you need to be retrained, all of you." So that was how the boys ended up with six hours of extra reflex training hours also without their powers as they worked. They tried to talk occasionally and usually got a forehead seeking chopstick to the face for their efforts. But finally, they they got the chance during their balance exercise to slow down and talk. Given that the talk was on one leg on a thin pole with boulders placed at the bottom, you know just in case they fell.

Occasionally, Master Fung would say switch and they had to switch poles and feet. It was hard but it was also easier to breath during this exercise than during any other. Raimundo started, as was usual, when Kimiko wasn't there. "So do you think that Jack is ok?"

"Chase did seem most eager to protect him no?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Switch." The young monks leapt to their next poles having learned early on that Master Fung would shake the thin perch if they simply stepped to the side.

Raimundo continued as he landed,"It's Chase! What does he know about caring for human babies?"

"Chase is old as grass, he probably has dropped it down somewhere."

"That's 'old as dirt' and 'picked it up'," Raimundo corrected automatically, "Even then he's probably never cared for a child in his life, and even if he has, he's a child as well. I say we go check on him."

"Switch."

"That is most agreeable. What do you think Clay?"

"Sure"

"Then it's settled tonight, after practice, we'll go."

After that the switches became faster so talking was not advisable. Clay however, barely noticed as he was lost in thought, his body stuck on auto pilot. He was thinking back to earlier that day. Clay had always loved children, babies especially and as a child he'd often had to baby sit. He'd never heard a child of any age make a sound like the one Jack'd made when he was glaring at Kimiko. So yes, Clay did think visiting Jack was a good idea because he had one pressing question he needed answered, what was Jack Spicer?

Clay intended to find out.


	4. Chapter 4

Exhausted, three monks in training stumbled into Raimundo's room. "I can't feel my legs. " moaned Raimundo falling into bed with a groan.

"I'm more tired than a three legged dog in a mud run." Clay said between pants after falling next to him.

"Master Fung must be most upset with us," Omi groaned as he too tumbled into the heap. Kimiko was still hard at work, washing the roof as Dojo scrubbed the windows. Both were just as exhausted but didn't get the luxury of rest so it was the perfect, and maybe the only, time to plan.

Raimundo was the first to sit up wearily. He decided that if they were going to plan it had to be now, even if they were exhausted they needed to move. "Ok we need a plan. This is probably the only chance we'll have without Kimiko interfering so we have to make it work. " He looked at both boys seriously and the stare had them focusing what was left of their exhausted attention on him.

"We should use the Golden Tiger Claws! "Omi offered enthusiastically.

Clay nodded. "Good idea lil partner we can use it to get in."

Raimundo began to think, then with a snap he completed a plan. "We can arrive at the pillar to the right and behind the throne. It had the largest dark shadows," he said with authority.

"Chase keeps all his favorite things in his room. It should be down the leftmost corridor. It is the fourth door to the right," Omi added.

"We'll need the Serpent's Tail to get through the door. It's magically locked and looks like part of the wall." Declared Raimundo. Clay simply looked back and forth between the two as they planned. Omi had been first Chase's apprentice, then his feline warrior so it made sense for him to know the warlords mountain home, but Raimundo? Why in the Sam Hills would he know so much, especially since most of his information involved the best way to sneak inside without detection. How often would he have had to visit to know so much? Clay thought for a moment before coming to the prompt conclusion that he didn't want to know and refocused just as Omi and Raimundo were finishing up.

"So we have a plan." Raimundo nodded his head in affirmation of his statement before continuing, "We'll leave in three hours so that we can get some rest before we start, we'll have to be quiet and quick if we want to get out of this with all of our limbs intact. Remember we won't take Jack unless he's in danger, otherwise he's safer with Chase than here with Kimiko. Does everyone agree?"

"Agreed." Came two synced voices.

"Ok then, I'll see you in three hours, sleep well and don't tell Kimiko." Raimundo concluded looking directly at Omi. The two nodded and hurried of to their rooms. All three monks set their alarms, small clocks which had been gifts from Kimiko. They then feel asleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows.

Meanwhile, Kimiko, who was almost done with her work on the roof, got a message on her phone. As Dojo dozed in a window sill, Kimiko check and saw that the boys had set their alarms to around the same time. "What are they up to now?" Kimiko wondered and set her own alarm from her phone. She finished up the roof and headed to bed herself determined to see what they were hiding from her.

Chase sat and read in his library. He still hadn't found much about either of his research subjects but he wasn't discouraged. He would find the answer eventually either by further research or by firsthand experience. He relaxed back into the large armchair that was one of his favorite pieces in the library. Now that he was toddler sized it was even bigger and more comfortable than before. Chase stretched his limbs. He'd been in the library for hours; he's earned a little break to check on Jack and nap.

Chase hopped out of his large chair and walked quickly down the halls, eager to check on his charge.

The walk was longer than usual with Chase's new short and slightly chubby legs. Still he didn't use any magic because he didn't know which spells would drain him, nor did he know which changes might make this change permanent, after all he was an immortal and did not age. If the wu had done nothing to change that then he would remain as a big eyed chubby cheeked baby forever. Or at least until he stole the reversing mirror to fix it. Until he had more information, any unnecessary magic would be cut off. Not to say that it was going to be easy, his current life would be much easier if he had retained his previous strength and stamina, but one had to adjust in times of need or struggle, and this was definitely a time of struggle.

It took Chase fifteen minutes of walking to arrive at his destination, and after standing on his toes to reach the handle, Chase let himself into his room. It was as quiet and dark as always when Chase walked silently into his room. The baby was still as Chase peaked over the low crib to see Jack happily dreaming and kicking the covers off which made Chase chuckle. It seemed that his hair had grown in his sleep and Chase gently brushed it out of Jack's face causing the baby to nuzzle his hand. Another near silent chuckle was his response as he quietly went to get the babe some more food before waking him up. A lioness in graceful human form was summoned to make the food, for it would take too long to do himself still, he followed her to insure that she made it to his satisfaction and to get a bite to eat himself.

As he left the room a relieved sigh filled the room. "That was too close." Said Raimundo. The boys had slept for two hours, grabbed their Wu then teleported from the vault to Chase's lair. Omi had found that he could picture the room almost exactly so they had skipped a couple of steps and bought themselves extra time. Then almost as soon as they arrived the door started to open. With a look of disbelieve the boys had frozen only to hear a whisper "Shroud of Shadows" Chase had walked in checked on the baby and left none the wiser. Still it was way too close for comfort. Cue the (rightfully) smug character who'd saved them all. Kimiko.

"Aren't you glad I came? Maybe next time I won't have to sneak to get in the loop. Speaking of "in the loop", anyone want to tell me what we're doing in Chase Young's lair?" The next sigh was one of defeat. Kimiko's arrival, while beneficial in some ways, complicated things. While the boys shuffled their feet, still reluctant to fill her in, Kimiko looked around to see if she could figure out out herself. She examined the dim, tastefully decorated room. She spotted the crib just as Raimundo started speaking, "Look Kimiko-"

"You're here to visit him! That's why you've been sneaking around behind my back? For that little" She paused as if too flustered to get the words out. "little freak!" All of this was thankfully said in a whisper. There was a flurry of movement as a quick game of rock paper scissors took place between Clay and Raimundo. A groan as Raimundo lost and Clay dragged Omi to the crib. A flurry of whispers took place as a hushed argument was started.

Clay and Omi looked down to see baby Jack was now awake and cooing. Omi was mesmerized, he'd never seen a baby before. "He's even smaller than me." He whispered in awe now that he had the chance to get a better, not to mention less frantic, look at him. Jack giggled at the sight of the big cowboy and the little yellow human. He reached out tiny little hands wanting to be picked up, but the cowboy was worried about his scent getting on the baby and cluing Chase off about who'd been in here any more than they already did. He did lean closer and speak to the baby gently, "Hello little partner." The baby's smile widened as he spoke and he redoubled his efforts. Still the cowboy was too far away and the baby wrinkled his nose in frustration. Suddenly, the baby remembered his caretaker and made a decision. Again with all his might be reached for the cowboy and this time there was a rip and then laughing with glee he managed to snag the big cowboy's hat. There were twin gasps of surprise. Clay retrieved his hat from the baby and looked critically.

Omi was stunned, "Are baby's supposed to do that?" He whispered.

"Looks like Jack had been keeping a few secrets." Clay murmured.

 _ **Thank you for all of your support. I love the reviews favorites and follows it really encourages me to write more!**_

 _ **For those of you who are also reading mistakes I have a am working on the next couple of chapters with a friend who also writes. It's something to look forward to but meanwhile here's another chapter of Keeping Secrets!**_


	5. Chapter 5

While Clay and Omi were having some new revelations about Jack, Raimundo and Kimiko were having some revelations of their own. Harsh whispers filled the corner as they argued back and forth.  
"I can't believe you're not only visiting him but that you tried to sneak behind my back to do it!" Kimiko whisper shouted, "We are a team! We're supposed to trust and support each other! I can't believe you'd betray me like this!"

Raimundo sighed annoyed with both the fact that Kimiko was there and that she'd thought to bring the shroud of shadows they hadn't thought to bring themselves. "Look Kimiko, we don't hate Jack, especially since he's a baby now. He's harmless, though repetitive, target practice and sometimes even a cool dude to hang out with. I thought you knew that and agreed, so I don't know what happened to make you hate him so to much all of a sudden but you're the one who's proven you're not trustworthy. You made him like this, while trying to kill him no less, and now you want us to trust you around him while he's even more vulnerable? You tried to kill him! And that's not cool. We are not murders or mercenaries and we are not tyrants or executioners. I don't know what made you think that changed but for us, you're on thin ice." During Raimundo's speech Kimiko looked more and more upset. How could they choose Jack over me? Yeah maybe I went a little overboard but we are a team. More than that we're supposed to be friends. Friends talk to you and work things out. They don't isolate you or choose an enemy over you. She looked ready to cry or punch something. Caught between anger and sadness she let her words explode through her lips with little to no filter.  
"You wanna talk about not cool?! How about the fact that almost all of us have given into evil at least once! Don't you think that may be a sign that we're being too soft? That we're so busy sympathizing and trying to be friends with everyone we're turning evil at the drop of a hat! And instead of seeing that as a problem, you turn on your teammate for actually doing what needs to be done and destroying the problem. We have the power to stop evil before it takes over the world, again, and burns millions of lives to the ground, again, and hurts those we love, again, but you guys are too busy treating this like a game to see it! How's that for "not cool" Mister Hero?!"

"First of all, we're supposed to keep the balance not destroy evil," Kimiko rolled her eyes at the age old lecture heard from master Fung. Raimundo ignored her and continued, "Secondly, even if we weren't, talk to us if you feel that way. You go off and get angry by yourself and think that instead talking to us about how you feel going on a killing spree is ok? I think you're the one who thinks this is a game. Every villain, every witch, overlord, mob boss, petty thief, or genius we fight is a living person just like we are. The fact that you're willing to forget that for your own goals makes you just as bad as them." Kimiko's hands closed into fists as she once again wanted to punch something, hard, and maybe light it on fire. "Thirdly, if you're so big on destroying evil why didn't you go after a bigger target? You had Wuya right next to you and Chase right next to Jack why didn't to try to make a bigger blow for your goal of destroying evil? Why did you go for someone who wasn't even fighting? I'm pretty sure he heard the alarm of his and came out of habit. So why only Jack?"

"If you guys can't see he's a growing threat-" It was Raimundo's turn to roll his eyes as he interrupted. "Wrong answer Kimiko you wanna know what I think? I think you can't stand that Omi can't stop talking about him, that Clay is practically in love with him and that even I can't help but to think he's pretty cool. You're a queen bee who feels like someone is trespassing on her territory. That's why you think Jack is a threat, that's why you want to get him out of the picture. All that other talk is just an excuse to get rid of some competition. In fact if Jack was a girl I think you would have done it a long time ago."  
Kimiko opened her mouth to deny it her face heated in fury and insults laden on her tongue, but Raimundo continued, arms folded and eyes focused on hers.  
"While I'm on the subject of you being way to controlling, how did you know we would be here, at this time, when you should have been sleeping, exausted from chores?" Proof of said exhaustion was in the fact that Kimiko hadn't thought of an excuse before hand to be here. Her brain froze for a second before she spitefully spat out the first thing that came to mind, "What you think you all can keep things from me? I have my ways." And then she wanted to face palm hard at the implications. Implications she hoped against hope that Raimundo would miss.

"You've been spying on us?!" Nope not her lucky day as it was Raimundo's turn to whisper shout. "How could you- I don't even- we will talk about this back at the temple,I want to check on Jack I don't have time to list everything wrong with that, again. How often are you gonna invade our privacy Kimiko? Stay here until we leave, wouldn't want you destroying threats once and for all would we? Because Jack is a whole lot more popular with our group than you are right now." Raimundo turned to leave before looking back at her with a scowl, "Though I'm reluctant to turn my back on you, seems you're even more untrustworthy than we thought." And with that he turned his back on her drawn to the crib by twin gasps of surprise, not noticing or caring as Kimiko silently cried tears of anger, frustration and remorse. Was she really like that? And if it was just a territory war was it worth losing the friends and was trying to keep to herself? Kimiko reflected on her actions, finally, as she cried.

Meanwhile, Raimundo headed to Jack. As he walked to the crib he heard Omi whisper, "Are baby's supposed to do that?" And couldn't quite hear Clay's reply. He walked to the other side of the crib to get a good look, and got the surprise of his life. "Jack's a girl?!" He exclaimed barely able to keep his voice down. "No," Omi said matter a factly, "He is a dragon."

Now Raimundo was confused. Just then baby Jack decided he was tired of being ignored and rolled to his belly then pushed himself to his hands and knees. His... Her diaper fell off showcasing the long tail, resembling Chase's only red and white, and proof that she was female. Her eyes were also little rounder and little nails had turned into little claws. Determinedly, she tried to crawl and reach the interesting people outside the crib. The door began to open again but the monks paid it no mind; who cared if they got caught they needed to know what in the world happened to Jack. The only person who might know is the person who would catch them.

With a baby bottle in hand, Chase stepped into the room only to be assaulted by the scents of the monks. He growled in distaste but refused to attack when Jack might get caught in the middle. It really annoyed him that they were there as he silently ordered his bristling warriors to stand down. Chase, confident even in his chibi body stalked forward towards the crib.

"I see you monks have yet to improve your manners. It is typically considered rude-" Chase's voice briefly froze in his throat as he saw what his happy baby had become. He finally found his voice somewhere between confusion and rage.

""What did you do to him?!"" He found his voice syncing with the much less hysterical voice of the monks' leader. Chase moved aggressively towards the crib, setting down the bottle on a nearby end table and shoving Raimundo aside to pick up Jack before moving slightly away and materializing a changing table, redressing the giggling baby as he ranted.

"I leave for fifteen minutes, just fifteen minutes! I try to be nice and give you time to check on Jack but when I come back not only are you still in my room, but Jack is a female dragon. And since when I left he was human male it's pretty logical to guess that you all most likely did something to him. Again."

Raimundo drew himself up seemingly offended. "Hey! He's been with you since yesterday you've had him the longest! Maybe one of your crazy magic spells or artifacts messed her up!"

Once Jack was satisfactorily dressed in a little emerald green dress, Chase made sure the back had a hole for Jack's new tail then put up her hair into two little ponytails with matching emerald colored bows he picked her up and looked her over critically as he spoke.  
"Yes, because your group is so well known for not, shall we say, altering people, accidently and on purpose." The monks blushed sheepishly as Chase decided to add some gold designs around the bottom of the dress and a little gold bow to her wagging tail. He then cradled her comfortably in one arm as he grabbed her bottle, tested the temperature briefly, and started to feed her.

Baby Jack eagerly sucked down her meal gripping the bottle as if he would pull it away before she was done. Chase smiled gently at the little baby in his arms.

"Slow down little one, no one will harm you or take what is yours." The words seemed to work and she was a bit less desperate, hands loosening and tail swinging in a slow satisfied wag. Chase didn't notice that his did the same.

"Why are you still here? " The question was soft but pointed, Chase still hadn't looked up from Jack but he hadn't forgotten his... intruders.

The monks had all been distracted by the adorable scene in front of them. A young child feeding a baby at least half his size both with tails wagging in contentment. Ok, so it was a little weird but still an 'aww' worthy moment. Raimundo was first to shake free of the cuteness, "Yeah we can see Jack is ok, let us know if you need anything. We'll be checking in again."

"Think you could come through the front door this time?" Chase said a smirk in his voice of not in his face. Raimundo shrugged.

"We'll think about it, but you know how we are with manners." He said with a smirk of his own. Then they used the Golden Tiger Claws to head home before master Fung came to check on them. Kimiko was the last one to enter and as she came near Chase faintly heard her voice before she hurried into the portal. "Sorry"

"Hmm seems she's finally improving, her attitude at least." Chase murmured to himself as Jack finished her bottle. He placed the now empty bottle on the table and laid her over his shoulder to burp her. Gently he tapped her back, still not sure of how strong he was in this form. Jack gave a cute little burp and giggled. Feeding complete, Chase lifted her above his head.

"If only you could speak, little one. I would demand to know what this was about." He lifted her tail with his own, "Hopefully, you remember this when the Wu wears off," because Chase refused for it to be an if, "but I always make a back up plan just in case. Though I suppose I can make it slightly more suitable for a female child." And with that Chase pulled out a pendent which he held on his tail. It was a bright red stone oval in shape and held on a thin metallic necklace. He moved to adjust it so that it would be suitable for the baby girl eagerly reaching for the shiny trinket, when he suddenly paused and looked critically at her. " You do have a habit of surprising everyone Jack. I think I shall make it so that it will adjust to suit you whatever you may do."  
With a murmur of incantation the jewel changed to a small sparkling skull with an even smaller bow slanted on top of its head. Chase slipped the necklace over her head and set it gently against her chest. As it laid there it began to shimmer and its color began to waver eventually settling to a beautiful golden hue. Chase raised an eyebrow her hadn't expected that. Another thing he hadn't expected was the sloppy baby kiss on his cheek as he leaned in to examine his gift to Jack. He looked up in surprise and was met with another smile and the clapping of tiny hands. He mock glared at the little baby in his arms and tickled her belly lightly with his tail.

"You've been trying to do that for years haven't you brat?" He said good naturedly. A giggle followed and Chase sighed. " I don't know what you are Jack but rest assured I will find out. But not now, now it is time to sleep, this accursed body had so little stamina and I'll bet yours does too little troublemaker. So to bed we shall go." And with a yawn echoed by Jack Chase materialized some stairs to get into his high bed tucked some pillows around Jack and laid down beside her. After a moments thought however, he decided that even in this form the dragon would be more alert and better protection if ambushed when asleep so he shifted into dragon form.

His body stretched, his bones popped and he found transforming a little more difficult and a lot more painful than he was used to but he closed his eyes grit his teeth and bore it without a sound. Discovery number one this body did not have much of a tolerance for pain. He felt every shift, every adjustment his body made in detail. But he forced himself to grit his teeth and bear it. Finally, after what seemed like forever the pain the stretching the popping out it all stopped. Chase kept his eyes closed a little longer out of relief before curiously he opened them which lead to discovery number two.

For whatever reason Chase's dragon form was much less affected by the Wu than his human form. Because of that little piece of luck Chase's dragon body was larger stronger and more powerful than that of his current human form. While the dragon wasn't full grown he was a little shorter and thinner early teens rather than a toddler. As Chase examined himself he couldn't help but to growl happily at the vast improvement of his form his tail moved just as happily, his dragon form was not at all inhibited when it came to showing its elation. For a moment he forgot baby Jack was even there when he finally remembered the child he froze glancing at Jack without moving to check her reaction to the rather large lizard beside him.

What he found was slightly amusing. Instead of a fearful child ready to cry he found large red eyes gazing at him curiously. When the babe noticed Chase was looking she got a look of concentration on her face and Chase felt a little surge of magic that flowed over and around her baby form which slowly began to shift as Chase had before her it was difficult he could tell as the scales rolled over her skin and muscles grew a little bigger bones changed and claws grew. Last was her face that formed a snout with little baby teeth lining it. She looked like a miniature Chase only she was colored white with red stripes. When she finished she looked at him proudly and gave the cutest little roar. Chase smiled down at the little mini dragon.

"Quite amazing little one you truly are a little genius." He said in the dragon's gravelly voice as she worked in the blankets to try walking. Chase was still tired though, to tired to examine this new puzzle of Jack's abilities and use of magic. He stopped her practice to tuck her safely against him so they could nap. She growled a little frustrated that he'd stopped her but she soon settled down to rest.

"Goodnight little one." A soft purr was his answer as they both drifted off to sleep


	6. Chapter 6

The four young monks arrived at the temple as silently as possible. Their adventure drained their already exhausted bodies and there wasn't even time for parting remarks as they headed towards their individual rooms for some much needed sleep. This didn't stop Kimiko from trying, as she reached out to get Raimundo's attention. Raimundo, sensing her intent dodged her seeking hand and turned to look at her. "Look Kimiko, we'll talk about this tomorrow. It's late, me and the guys are going to sleep." As he turned away another piece inside of Kimiko broke . He'd never dodged her before, not like that. Kimiko continued to think as she lay in her room unable to sleep with her racing mind. Could she fix this? Was it too late to try?

Chase slept wonderfully. He awoke refreshed and ready for another day. He gave himself a moment to stretch and wondered briefly why he'd fallen asleep in his dragon form before rolling over to get out of bed as usual until a small squeal and a sharp pain in his side stopped him. Startled, he rolled back and looked down to see a little dragon whimpering in annoyance. At that moment everything from the last few days came back to him and he began to comfort little Jack taking her in his arms and rocking her. Come to think of it he couldn't really think of the little dragon as Jack. She was slightly fussy but she calmed easily enough soon settling into his arms with a giggle.

"I shall rename you because Jack brings a different image to mind. You shall be Ruby from now on." Chase said nodding to himself. Little renamed Ruby giggled seeming to agree with the strange dragon. Chase sighed as he stepped out of bed turned and gently placed little dragon Ruby in her crib. Slowly he stretched and cracked his back. It never was really a good idea to stay a dragon for too long so reluctantly he began to change back to his human. Again it was a long and painful process as he shrunk to his human form but just as he braced himself for the worst it stopped.

"Well isn't that interesting?"

Back at the temple the monks were roused from their beds extra early for their retraining program. They had to repeat the exercises from the day before. Kimiko was only halfway done with her cleaning and they all were exhausted from the previous night's field trip. Master Fung was relentless, each stumble, fumble, or murmur of complaint or discontent was punished swiftly and mercilessly. Now the young male monks were not only exhausted, they were covered in bruises. By the end of the training all the young monks could do was collapse in a heap. Master Fung was not sympathetic.

"You will do these every day until you can do them in your sleep. After dinner come to the library." And with that the dismissed monks crawled away to shower and then wallow in their misery until dinner, a dinner which Kimiko unhappily created with no help from Dojo because she'd kicked him out of the kitchen for eating the ingredients using the excuse of "quality control". She murmured angrily beneath her breath as she made the simple meal made troublesome by the sheer volume she had to make. By the time she finally finished she was too tired to be angry. She looked at all she had done and suddenly realized something that made her perk up just a little. This was her last chore. Sure, she had to wash the dishes afterwards, but other than that she was finally done. She gave a weak cheer at the thought as she started making plates for everyone.

As the boys arrived for dinner they sat a table that was already set with food. This put a little pep in their tired steps. Kimiko was nowhere to be seen and the boys couldn't bring themselves to mind. They were all upset with her because it was easier to think that Kimiko's actions had brought these grueling punishments on them than to think that they had been cruel enough to bring it on themselves. So, there was a low simmering hostility towards their fiery teammate that was in no way lessened when they were informed that they had to wait for her so that they could eat as a team. By the time Kimiko walked into the room, hungry and exhausted, the hostility had risen from a low simmer to a dull roar. Glares followed the girl's slow progress to her seat.

"The female is never on time." Said Omi. Kimiko didn't even bother to glare at him,just tiredly trudged to her seat. No one said anything to defend her. Master Fung waited to see how the situation would play out, stress and anger often showed who a person truly was causing them to do and say things that they would block out when they were more in control.

"Now that you've finished taking your time going here we can finally eat." Kimiko flinched at both the words and the tone but, contrary to her usual nature she remained quiet. The boys began to dig into the food as Kimko shoveled food around on her plate, her appetite gone. Raimundo noticed "Something wrong with the food?" He asked between bites. The words caught Omi's attention. "Yes, Kimiko. This is no time for your female moodiness. We must eat to build strength."

"Yeah, you have an actual workout tomorrow and if you don't eat you'll be grumpy. Wouldn't want you to fry one of us cause you're in a bad mood." Raimundo sneered. Kimiko began to glare at her food.

"Now, now, I'm sure that Kimiko is just tired. Everyone does things at their own pace." Kimiko shot Clay a grateful look before beginning to eat slowly. Kimiko still refused to respond herself. Omi continued to eat but responded "Kimiko's pace is that of a slug!" He said opened his mouth to correct Omi before looking at him thoughtfully and shrugging. "Eh, close enough." He said in an uncaring manner. Kimiko sighed not bothering to finish her food before standing and collecting her plate of half eaten food. "Where are you going Kimiko?" Omi asked looking confused. Kimiko tried to smile at the innocent little monk "I'm not hungry. I'm gonna go start the dishes."

"There is no need for that Kimiko. Dojo will finish the dishes, you may go rest." Master Fung said with a gentle look. Kimiko nodded and smiled at him before heading out without another glance at her teammates. Dojo began to protest.

"Why do I-"

"I believe that Kimiko did all of the cooking while you were too busy "taste testing" to assist." Master Fung interrupted with one eyebrow raised causing Dojo to pout as he nodded.

Master Fung made no comment about anyone's behavior at dinner as the boys finished their meals and placed their plates in the sink. However, as they walked towards their rooms Clay couldn't stay silent.

"You were kinda harsh in there Raimundo." Clay said quietly as Omi walked ahead. Raimundo scowled, "She betrayed us. That doesn't exactly inspire confidence or kindness."

"Yes, but she's also human, and humans make mistakes. You have younger siblings don't you? They must have made you mad at some point. Have you forgiven them?"

"Of course, but none of my siblings have tried to kill anyone!"

"Yeah and I'll bet that none of them had elemental powers either."

"That isn't the point! She betrayed us."

"So have you and Omi. She keeps tabs on us because she cares. Technology is the only way she knows how to relate." Raimundo opened his mouth to respond but Clay held up a hand. "I want you to think about this, are you made because you feel like she betrayed us? Or are you mad because you feel like she betrayed you?" Clay walked off without letting Raimundo respond.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Changes

Chase was admiring his new form in a mirror as Ruby sat beside him and played with his tail. Within one night Chase had changed from a five year old to the body of a preteen. He was tall, gangly and thin. His face was caught between boyhood and adolescence, he was not quite handsome but could no longer be called cute anymore either. _My magic must be combating that of the wu, either that or the effect was never meant to be permanent. Seems I should be back to normal in a few days time. Though I'm surprised it will even go that slow._ He stared thoughtfully at the mirror for awhile longer and watched as little Ruby began to gnaw on his tail with teeth much sharper than they should be. As he watch she chomped down on his tail. She refused to let go as he tried to move his tail to make her let go. She held on even as he lifted her off the ground and refused to let go even as he held her in his arms. So he gently tickled her chin until she let go with a laugh before he moved his tail out of reach causing the little dragon to pout. It was much easier to carry her in this form and he signaled for breakfast as he headed once again to the library Ruby pouting in his arms. _Which means I should have plenty of time to commit myself to other research._ He thought as he gave Ruby one of his fingers, reinforced with dragon scales, to chew on. _She must be teething? Though it seems like she has more teeth than any baby should have._ As she gnawed, Chase prepared himself some rice and fish. As he tasted his meal little Ruby suddenly stopped chewing on his finger. When he glanced at her to see what she was doing only to find her staring at his food. When she noticed him looking, she opened her mouth wide.

"Ahhhh."

She said. Chase decided then and there that no one could be as adorable as his Ruby and that he was keeping her. Chase fed his little treasure bits of fish that she munched on happily. Chase now understood the meaning of cuteness overload.

Meanwhile, back at the temple…..

Raimundo nearly growled in frustration. Kimiko was definitely avoiding him. You see, Raimundo had spent all night thinking about his, admittedly inappropriate, response to Kimiko's actions and had begun to feel a bit guilty about how he had handled the matter. He had not only turned against his teammate and friend, but, as the leader of their little group, he'd turned the others against her as well. It was immature, disloyal, and petty.

He had scolded her with such righteous fury and arrogance, sure that he was the one in the right and that all of their troubles were because of her carelessness, her cruelty. The night before had certainly shown that she wasn't the only one in need of an attitude adjustment. If anything they had been skirting the edge of the dark side for awhile now. She was right when she said that they trusted their enemies too much, often being tricked in some way. And too often they strayed. Having magic, having control over the elements was a power trip. It was like suddenly you were special, unique, and people had to pay attention to you, though not all for the right reasons. People needed you, people wanted you, people noticed you. Being caught in a swarm of siblings, it was nice to be noticed for something other than having siblings. Undoubtedly, it was nice for Kimiko yo be someone other than another rich girl, and Omi other than an orphan. Because of that it was easy to get carried away, to forget that your actions now have deadly consequences, that this wasn't a game, it was a war. He couldn't believe he hadn't seen it, had let them get so far without talking about it.

No matter what, as a friend and leader, he should have been able to have a rational discussion with her. Should have listened to her side and taken her seriously, rather than calling her names and dismissing her concerns. He had made so many mistakes and all that he wanted to do was make things right. He wanted to apologize, listen to her concerns and make her feel valid and important. He wanted to do so much for her. But, he couldn't do anything to improve if she somehow kept dodging him! She sat on the far end of the table during breakfast made sure to keep Clay between them during exercises and even when they got a break she was nowhere to be seen. What was that girl thinking?!

 _I'm not avoiding them._ Kimiko told herself as she ducked away from a possible encounter with Omi. _I'm just giving them space._ Because if last night was any indication of their true feelings, then she needed to take a step back for awhile so they could cool off. Just because she dodged any potential encounters with them, made sure to stay away from them during training, and ducked away if she saw them coming… ok so she was avoiding them.

What they had said that night. How they had ganged up on her though she didn't respond and tried to change, she let them say their piece and they scorned her for it. She hadn't lashed out, lost her temper, or attempted to teach them some manners. Kimiko knew that they were mad at her, and rightfully so, but, she hadn't expected them to be so hurtful. So, she was going to let them calm down and give them some space. She didn't really avoid Clay so she had someone to talk to, to try to smile for, to help her practice being a good friend. First things first, apologize. Kimiko caught up with Clay as the other boys raced to breakfast.

"Hey, Clay?"

"Well good morning little lady." Clay slowed down so that she could catch up.

"Good morning Clay! I just wanted to say thank you! For last night…." Kimiko said with none of her usual confidence and force, scuffing her feet slightly as she walked and looking at the ground. It broke the older boys heart just a little too see the little fireball he thought of as a sister become a cold pile of embers. He gently lifted her chin and looked her in the eye.

"Hey, it's what friends do, and I was always taught to protect my friends." Kimiko smiled, a sad little smile. As she moved her head away. "I'm sorry about following you guys. I want really spying, I promise! It's just that those clocks were meant so that we could sync up, my watch gives me an alert when everyone sets the same time, and your clock would alert you guys if the same. Still, I shouldn't have followed and I shouldn't have been so awful and annoying and and I'm just-"

"Slow down little sister. I understand, I forgive you. I know you're just being a Mama Bear, protecting her family and all. Everyone makes mistakes." He continued to smile at her and Kimiko had to force herself not to cry. "Thanks." She said hugging him tightly, Clay gave the best hugs. He also made a great hiding place and block while she avoided Omi and Raimundo. Friends are awesome!

Meanwhile…..

Chase was at a lose, and almost at the end of his wits. The day had started peaceful as, after an adorable breakfast, he'd went to the library to do some research baby Ruby has seemed content to sit in his lap and fiddle with his tail or fingers. As long as he occasionally stopped to give her attention she stayed quiet and happy, until she wasn't. It had started with a whimper. Chase had responded to the sad sound with a slight nuzzle of reassurance, but it only got louder. Within moments it was an unending wail that had him worried about his ears and her lungs. She didn't want food or comfort or sleep or toys! What was he supposed to do?! Even those who had been mothers before were at a loss. And the baby's wails were only getting louder and more heartbreaking. He was just about to breakdown and see if the monks had any idea of what to do when the answer showed itself. Ruby began to grow and Chase winced. Growing pains all at once? Not fun. He did all he could to make her more comfortable but there was nothing he could really do but wait…. And make her bigger clothes.

Back at the temple….

It had taken all day but Raimundo had finally found Kimiko, off guard and practicing on her own. He used the wind to float so he wouldn't alert her that he was coming. In the middle of her turning to kick he was caught. There was a pause, Kimiko's wide eyes meeting Raimundo's own.

"Umm…."

As soon as the silence was broken so too was the spell that kept Kimiko frozen. She ran. And after a beat of shock Raimundo followed after her.

"Kimiko wait, stop I just want to talk to you! Kimiko? Kimiko! Stop!"

A blast of air and he nearly tackled her to the ground trapping her against the wall.

"Kimiko! We need to talk."


End file.
